Wizards at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies look like a much different team at home in the early going and will try to improve to 3-0 in their own arena when they host the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. The Grizzlies are averaging 124 points in two home games while posting an average of 89 in three games on the road.
Memphis, which begins a three-game road trip on Friday at Utah, opened its two-game homestand by blasting Phoenix 117-96 on Saturday while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and handing out 30 assists on 44 made field goals. "We want to be a versatile team where you can't key in on one or two guys to shut us down," Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "It's good to see a bunch of guys get double-figure points. That means we're sharing the ball well, that we're moving and doing all the little things well that we preach." The Wizards are having some trouble practicing what they preach and suffered through another terrible effort in a 136-104 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, two days after stars Bradley Beal and John Wall called out teammates for selfishness at the defensive end. Washington is last in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing an average of 125 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (1-5): Washington is at the end of a five-game road trip that began with a 125-124 overtime win at Portland but quickly turned sour with three consecutive losses. The worst of the performances may have come on Sunday, when the Wizards allowed the Clippers to shoot 54.4 percent from the floor, including 16-of-29 from 3-point range, while struggling to 39.2 percent and 5-of-27 from beyond the arc on their own end. Beal managed to keep alive his streak of scoring at least 20 points in each game this season with 20 on 8-of-16 shooting but was 1-of-6 from 3-point range.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (3-2): Center Marc Gasol scored a season-high 19 points in Saturday's win and is trying to lead his younger teammates to bigger things. "We have to be consistently growing and do more of what we do well and not be afraid to get in the paint," Gasol told reporters. "We can do both. Guys here are really athletic and long, so you can be in the paint and take things away." The Grizzlies shot 66 percent from inside the arc on Saturday as guards Mike Conley, Shelvin Mack, MarShon Brooks and Garrett Temple attacked the paint.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies SF Chandler Parsons (knee) sat out the last two games and is not expected to return by Tuesday.
2. Wizards PF Markieff Morris (concussion) left Sunday's game and is questionable for Tuesday.
3. Washington took both meetings last season, earning a 102-100 triumph in Memphis on Jan. 5 behind 34 points from Beal.